Getting the flavour of…

Shepherding in the Himalayas

Each spring, the anwal – the last-remaining migrating shepherds of the Indian Himalayas – herd their flocks from the valleys of Uttarakhand to the pastures around the country’s second-highest peak Nanda Devi. Now visitors can accompany them on the trek, says Juliet Rix in The Daily Telegraph – walking with “knowledgeable” guides and sleeping in community-run guest houses created by the tour operator Village Ways. The path starts where the road ends, in the village of Supi, winding upwards past shrines and hilltop temples to within a few miles of the Tibetan border. The vegetarian food on offer is “exceptionally good”, there are spectacular birds and animals to spot (snow leopards harass the flock) and the views – particularly from the highest camp – can be “awe-inspiring”. Village Ways (01223750049, www.villageways.com) has a tennight trip from £1,052pp, excluding flights.

A divine feast in Burgundy Few things have contributed as much to human happiness as Burgundy’s natural produce, says Anthony Peregrine in The Sunday Telegraph. And these can be enjoyed on a brief tour of its cheeseries and vineyards. Starting at Mâcon, in the south, you can sample the goat’s cheese at the Chèvrerie la Trufière before stopping at Fuissé, where the Vincent family produce top-notch Pouilly-fuissé. From there, the Grand Cru route wends through the Côte de Nuit and Côte de Beaune vineyards. At Brochon, the Gaugry factory runs tastings of great cheeses, including the “glory” that is Époisses. Others can be sampled at the Pierre-qui-vire and Cîteaux abbeys, where each cheese is stamped “Prayer & Work”, to make your gluttony feel “godly”. London to Dijon is about five hours by train, from £86 return (0844-848 5848, www.voyages-sncf.com).

Smuggler adventures in Norfolk It’s “the most exciting adventure you can have on the British coast this summer”, says Chris Haslam in The Sunday Times – a course into the seamanship and fieldcraft of north Norfolk’s 18th century smugglers. Led by Henry Chamberlain, a former Royal Marine “with experience in matters he’s reluctant to discuss”, the Coastal Exploration Company’s smuggling weekends are “part escape-room puzzle, part Anneka Rice game show, but a lot more tense”. Setting out from Wells-next-the-sea in a converted whelking boat, you go for a one-mile “survival swim”, perform a navigation exercise, and forage for mackerel, mussels and samphire in the area’s coastal marshes, before a mysterious encounter in a pub sets you on the trail of the contraband. Courses for six people cost £300pp (07970-276397, www.coastalexplorationcompany.co.uk).